


All that matters

by TickingClockwork



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Cuddles, Hugs, M/M, Prison, boyd is a touched starved boy, touch starvation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-08 06:52:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17976467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TickingClockwork/pseuds/TickingClockwork
Summary: It’s been a long time since Boyd has gotten a hug.





	All that matters

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this as a way of projecting myself onto Boyd. I suffer from touch and affection starvation. And I feel like a lot of people in prison (or who are newly out of prison) do too. This story takes place a year after Boyd gets out. Him and Ned are together again.

Prison had not been easy for Boyd.

He kept to himself. Didn’t make friends. Didn’t join gangs. He just counted the days until he could leave.

Years without physical contact lead to some pretty bad touch starvation.

Now, a year out of prison, back with his husband, he realizes just how badly touch starved he is.

Ned and Boyd were never the most physical lovers. They didn’t hug or hold hands. That’s probably why it took Boyd a year to realize just how badly he needed to be touched.

Ned had given Boyd a hug. It wasn’t for any particular reason. It was just a thing that Ned had seen Dani and Aubrey do a lot, and figured that it was a thing that couples normally did.

The problem was, that after Ned let go, Boyd didn’t.

Part of him knew that he should let go. That Ned would feel uncomfortable after a while. That he had stuff to do. But he just couldn’t.

The feeling of Ned’s arms around him made him feel something that he hadn’t felt in years.

He felt safe.

Ned could feel Boyd’s grip on him getting tighter so he didn’t move. They just stayed like that.

That was, until Boyd started crying.

Ned pulled away and held Boyd’s face in his hands.

“What’s wrong?” He asked

“I-... I don’t know... it’s just been so long since anyone has hugged me like that. It feels bloody strange.”

“Good strange or bad strange?”

“Great strange.”

Before Ned could respond, Boyd’s arms were wrapped around him again. They stayed like that until their legs got tired, then they sat down, and continued to cuddle. 

Ned didnt quite understand why Boyd was getting so emotional, but that was a question for another time. Right now, his husband needed him.

And that was all that mattered.

**Author's Note:**

> If you know someone who is touch starved, ask them if they need a hug. It will mean the world to them. Touch starvation is such a hard thing to deal with and it can make someone feel like they are completely alone. Listen to them. Make them feel safe. Because we all deserve to feel safe.


End file.
